The not so good first. The use of weaponry by all of the characters years before it was available. Much of the clothing appears more appropriate for a modern day dude ranch rather than the 1860's west (although I always love Randy's dark blue shirt, dark blue pants and yellow bandanna). The writing and characterizations just were not on a par with the other Scott/Boetticher efforts.The good news. This is a Randolph Scott western. None of the above matters. Enjoy!

There is a lot of experience in this 1959 Randolph Scott film. Scott is about 62 when this one was shot and it shows. He is still a good actor but the script makes him a romantic lead and that is a bit of a stretch here. Both the ladies are less than 40.Virginia Mayo at 39 is still quite fetching though she really has a small role. The younger Karen Steele, oh mama, looks like she has a body that will not quit. There are scenes with both women together and it is kind of like dueling blonde's on the screen in this Technicolor B feature. The plot is really far fetched. The Union needs gold shipped from the West Coast in order to continue financing weapons to fight the Confederates? The Union had all the factories so this makes little sense. It does give the actors something to fight about - Confederates stealing gold shipments, but I doubt in 1864 it could have been a factor to change the war.The color and the cast and the best looking women in many a Western gives this one some eye candy in case you have trouble with the rather predictable plot.

Agree with other viewers that "Westbound" is the least of the seven Budd Boettcher/Randolph Scott westerns. But the assured work of both Director Boettcher and Star Scott take this up a notch or two from the run-of-the-mill fifties oater. Nice work too from Michael Pate as the arch villain (watch the way he moves). And it's good to see Virginia Mayo, even in a throwaway role. In most other respects, though, this just isn't up to Boettcher's other work with Scott, and the fact Boettcher dismissed and virtually disowned it is no surprise. The movie lacks the tough, lean feel that makes the others real classics that can be seen over and over. One viewing is enough for "Westbound."

This film is set during the Civil War. Randolph Scott is dispatched by the Union Army to the West in order to ensure that stagecoaches filled with gold make it unscathed--without the Confederates capturing it. Unfortunately, at one place along the route, Andrew Duggan is the town big shot and he's determined to wreck Scott's plans because Duggan is a Confederate sympathizer.Now it's pretty obvious early on that while Duggan is boss, that eventually there will be some sort of showdown between him and his foreman--the impulsive and violent Mace (Michael Pate). This was telegraphed all the way, as was the pending breakup between Duggan and his wife (Virginia Mayo). About the only surprise, and it was a very, very mild one, was how ineffective Scott was for much of the film. While he acted tough and in control, an amazing number of his people were killed before he took any serious action.The story in this Western isn't that unusual and seems very, very similar to at least a hundred other films in the genre. So, from the outset, the story is awfully derivative and keeps this film from really succeeding. However, because Budd Boetticher was the director and Randolph Scott the leading man, there was an aura of class and sophistication that made this film a bit better than just another ordinary Western. Scott, as usual, was exceptional in his low-key and realistic delivery. If only the source material had been a bit better.